Retailers, wholesalers, rental services, and other product distributors (which may collectively be referred to as distributors) often maintain an inventory of various items that may be ordered by clients or customers.
Pickers can be given instructions to go to locations in inventory to pick items from specified locations. Pickers will sometimes utilize RF-connected wireless terminals or handheld scanners to receive instructions and to correctly pick the desired items. In addition, a picker may scan an item using the wireless terminals to ascertain whether the item is the desired item. In some instances, a mobile cart carrying multiple bins may be provided for the picker to use in picking items for an order. After an item has been picked, the picker can place the item in a desired bin, which may be used, for example, to keep separate orders organized, to keep similar items together, and so forth.
Conventionally, a picker may be instructed to pick items for one order at a time, or to pick items for a batch of orders going to a pick destination (e.g., to a particular automated sorting station, manual sorting station, packing station, or other processing station), or a list of items from various orders going to a particular destination, etc. After a picker picks the items, the picker may deliver the picked items to the pick destination, leaving the processing and sorting of the picked items into their individual orders to the other employees. The process may then be repeated for another list of items.